April 2,
2015 – Five
Georgia schools have been selected as 2015 winners of the Georgia Department of
Education’s Family-Friendly Partnership School Award. The winners were selected
because they represent the best in customer service for Georgia families,
whether it’s on the phone, in the front office or online. The schools have
welcoming staff members, comfortable waiting areas, clear signage, and engaging
student work throughout the building.

They have
easy-to-navigate websites and are forging partnerships with parents to help
improve student achievement. The schools also provide unique, engaging, and
innovative parent engagement programming that is successful in reaching all
families in the school.

“The schools
that won this award are truly models for the entire state regarding parent
engagement,” said State School Superintendent Richard Woods. “They open the
door for other schools to see the positive results that can be achieved when
families are seen as true partners in their child’s education. I offer my
congratulations and thanks to all of the winners and finalists.”

The winners
are:

•
Campbell Elementary School in Fulton County

•
Centerville Elementary School in Houston County

•
Chestatee Elementary School in Forsyth County

• Harris
Elementary School in Gwinnett County

• Ware
County High School in Ware County

They were
chosen from a pool of nine finalists. The four other schools named finalists
are:

• Bear Creek Middle School
in Barrow County

•
Clinch County Middle School in Clinch County

•
Moore Middle School in Gwinnett County

•
Teasley Middle School in Cherokee County

Each school
received phone calls and visits from “parents” looking for information or
assistance. They also received a walk-through by department staff, which
conducted interviews with school workers, parents, students and community
members as part of the selection process.

All five
schools will be visited by Superintendent Woods and will receive a plaque and a
welcome mat for their front entrance. The award is sponsored by the GaDOE,
along with the Georgia Foundation for Public Education, Georgia Association of
Educators and three Ritz-Carlton hotels in Georgia: The Ritz-Carlton, Atlanta
(Downtown); The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead; and The Ritz-Carlton Lodge, Reynolds
Plantation on Lake Oconee. Teams from each of the winning schools also will get
the chance to learn more about providing welcoming environments during a
professional learning seminar hosted by The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center. The
seminars are designed to help the schools increase parent engagement to help
improve the academic achievement of students.

“Through The Ritz-Carlton
Succeed Through Service program, our hotels partner with schools that serve a
disadvantaged community. Our goal is to instill in the students the vision of a
successful future if they remain in school,” said Erwin Schinnerl, general
manager, The Ritz-Carlton Buckhead. “The general managers of our Ritz-Carlton
hotels in downtown Atlanta and at Reynolds Plantation share the hope that the
family-friendly schools program will successfully encourage academic
achievement of their students.”

Schools that
were named finalists, but who do not win the award, will receive the option for
specialized support from the Georgia Association of Educators (GAE) to further
develop the welcoming environments in their schools and increase their chances
of winning the award in the future.

“Having been a
sponsor for the Family-Friendly Partnership School Initiative for several
years, The Georgia Association of Educators has found it to be very gratifying
to assist local schools in developing a welcoming environment for the
community’s public schools” said GAE President, Dr. Sid Chapman.

“The first
impression is a lasting impression in any situation; the first impression of
any public school should be that of a welcoming and inviting environment. GAE
is delighted to continue its support of this program!”.

The
Family-Friendly Partnership School Award is awarded annually to up to 10
schools that go above and beyond to make families feel welcome and work to
engage parents in their children’s education.

Schools can
begin applying for next year’s Family-Friendly Partnership School Awards in
August. To apply, a school must be Title I - which means it receives additional
federal dollars due to its high percentage of low-income students to help those
students meet the school’s educational goals. Schools also must not be
designated as Priority or Focus schools under the state’s Elementary and
Secondary Education Act waiver.